Dark Days
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Movie Reviews of Dark Days
Movie Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
As even the negative reviewers have been picking up on, this film was beautifully captured, and reminded me very much of Jem Cohen's documentary work which is breathtaking (albeit in a very raw form).
Singer (the director) spent about 2.5 year living with and being with people living in the Amtrak tunnel in small 'houses' that they had built, showing the very real community that thrived there. IMPORTANT: watch the 'making of' documentary that's in the extra features, which in a much clearer way shows just how involved Singer became in these people's lives. He didn't shoot a documentary about "those people," he shot a documentary about his friends who happened to have lived in a tunnel (some upwards of 25 years).
This is not the flick to watch if you're bored and want something to liven up your life: it won't. This is very much a mood piece, and you need to be in the right mood (i.e., sort of dark and moody). This documentary leaves a lot of loose ends. If you don't like living with that kind of tension, you may not like the film: don't watch it. If you can handle the tension, and are willing to enter a film that mimicks the world it's portraying, then watch this film: it's a beautiful work.
Movie Review: Dark and Thoughful Days
Summary: 5 Stars
Marc Singer is a bloke from England who moved to New York City, saw all these homeless sleeping on the streets, and became friends with them. They in turn trusted him, accepted him as one of their own, and showed him their secret living quarters. Deep underground in abandoned train tunnels, the homeless erected huts out of anything scavenged off the streets. Intelligent and resourceful, they had hooked up to free electricity and had working TV's and stoves.
What makes this documentary five stars instead of four is the making of documentary. Only there do you learn that the movie crew WERE the tunnel folks. Only there do you learn how Singer made this movie with no money, equipment, or knowledge of filmmaking. This movie took six years from start to finish. Unfortunately, it was not the financial success its producers hoped for. But it resonates unbelievably.
The deleted scenes are not to be missed, although some are much better than others. The one where a man talks about how his cousin killed a cat for food, and the scene where two young men talk in X-rated detail about recent sexual activities lent nothing to the film.
Movie Review: A haunting documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
The 5-star rating goes to the version I saw in the theatre. I cannot rate the DVD as it has not yet been released. However, this documentary was, without a doubt, one of the single best documentaries I have ever seen.This story revolves around a group of homeless people in New York who lived underground in old abandoned subway tunnels. What makes their story, and this documentary, most unique is that the director, Marc Singer, actually took his camera and went and lived with these people for a prolonger period of time. (I believe it was 2 years, but I am not sure).
The poignant struggle of their lives provides the backdrop for this documentary. Those of us who think our lives have problems are living in Disneyland compared to the dayto-day lives of these people. To watch their struggle, their small triumphs, their small and large setbacks, will leave you in awe that there are people in our country who actually live like this. It is almost impossible to walk away from this documentary without having it affect your life on a fundamental level.
Three cheers for Marc Singer for making this documentary.
Movie Review: You will never forget this film
Summary: 5 Stars
One evening I was flipping through channels on the TV and came across "Dark Days" on Sundance Channel. I have not seen the DVD so I can only comment on the version that ran on Sundance. It was the most riveting documentary I have ever seen. Although it has been six months since I caught it on TV, and I haven't been able to catch a rerun since, I have not been able to forget it. I came to care about the people living in the tunnel, and when the film was over, I felt as if I had just lost touch with some friends.What struck me about this film is that it was made on such a limited budget by people who lived in the tunnel. There were no prima-donna actors, directors and producers. As a result, the film is an honest portrayal of life under the tunnels.
There is excellent information on how the film was made at [web page], and you can also catch some samples of the haunting music from the film.
The film inspired me to learn more about the people living in the tunnels under New York. Two books I would recommend on the subject are "The Mole People" by Jennifer Toth, and "The Tunnel" by Margaret Morton.
Movie Review: This will raise your awareness about poverty in America
Summary: 5 Stars
For those who still believe America is "the land of opportunity," take a look at the reality. While it may have been true in 1492 for people to come here and make the most of the vulnerability of the natives, the same is not true today. This is a specific story about a specific group of homeless people who managed to make their way living under the railroad for a long period of time. There appears to be a "happy ending" because eventually the government steps in and they get apartments and find jobs - but none of them get rich. And life in America is very, very complicated today. So think about that before buying the bill of goods that America is the "land of milk and honey."
This is not an easy video to watch. It is difficult and painful to see how some people in this country have to live just to get by. It is, however, educational, and it will raise your awareness.
Work, Welfare and Politics: Confronting Poverty in the Wake of Welfare Reform